For most people, epilepsy is a manageable disorder with a good prognosis. Up to 70% of people with epilepsy ultimately become seizure-free with treatment, and many of these individuals can later stop taking medications.
To ensure the best chance of continuing good health and seizure control in your child:
- Help your child maintain a healthy lifestyle.
- Make sure your child has regular medical follow-up.
Common health concerns that may need special attention in children with epilepsy, including vaccination, common childhood illnesses, dental care, and surgery, are also discussed on this page.
Epilepsy and anti-epileptic drugs can cause fatigue or other physical problems.
For more information on coping with these issues, please see the "Physical Health" page.
Maintain a healthy lifestyle
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle involves:
- taking medications on time
- getting enough sleep
- staying physically active
- engaging in normal, age-appropriate activities
- avoiding risky behaviour, like risky physical activity (such as riding a bicycle unsupervised on a major road), alcohol, or street drugs
All these recommendations are helpful for overall good health, but neglecting some of them may increase the risk for more seizures. This concern is discussed in more detail on the "Seizure Triggers to Avoid" page in this section.
These lifestyle factors are more under your control as a parent when your child is young. They may become an issue during adolescence as your child takes on more responsibility for his own health. For this reason, your child should start to learn early on about the things that help keep him healthy and prevent seizures. Both you and the epilepsy care team can work together to teach these to your child and get him involved in playing an active role in his own health care.
Have regular medical check-ups
It is very likely that your child will need to have regular clinic visits with his neurologist or paediatrician. How involved the care needs to be depends on the type of epilepsy, frequency of seizures, and how successful treatment has been in controlling his seizures. Once the diagnosis is made, follow-up visits with your child’s doctor ensure that your child continues to be monitored for:
- efficacy of anti-epileptic medications
- short- and long-term medication side effects
- potential changes in your child’s epilepsy that might require further investigations leading to other treatment options (such as epilepsy surgery for uncontrolled seizures) or to discontinuation of medications (because your child has been seizure-free for some time)
These issues are discussed in more detail on the "Clinic Visits" page in this section.
Your child should also continue to see her family doctor or paediatrician for typical ailments and to ensure overall health by way of regular check-ups. Be sure the family doctor or paediatrician knows the details of your child's epilepsy, including history, frequency of seizures, medications, treatments, and side effects.
Common health concerns
Children with epilepsy may need special treatment or slightly different treatment for some ordinary childhood health concerns, including vaccination, using over-the-counter medications, dental care, and surgery. These concerns are briefly discussed below. For specific information about your child’s situation, talk to the epilepsy team.
Vaccination
The Canadian Immunization Guide recommends that all children, including those with neurological disorders such as epilepsy, should receive routine vaccinations. Vaccines are a safe, effective way to prevent disease.
You should discuss this with your child’s neurologist or paediatrician and determine the best time for vaccinating your child. Rarely, the doctor may recommend that you postpone an immunization until your child’s condition is clearly diagnosed or the seizure situation is stable.
Some children may develop a fever for a short time after receiving a vaccine. To reduce the risk of a fever triggering a seizure, the doctor may recommend taking acetaminophen.
Common health problems and over-the-counter medications
Children with epilepsy are no different from other children in that they can also become sick with common illnesses such as influenza, colds, sore throats, and upset stomachs. However, some over-the-counter medications may not be suitable for them as they may interact with anti-seizure medication.
- Check any new medication with your child’s paediatrician, neurologist, pharmacist, or a member of the epilepsy health care team to make sure it will not interact with her seizure medication.
- Make sure that your pharmacist knows all the medications your child is taking, including over-the-counter medications.
Dental care
As with any child, regular dental checkups are necessary. Like anyone taking care of your child, the dentist should be aware that your child has epilepsy and should know what to do in case of a seizure.
Some children with epilepsy may be taking medications that affect gum growth, such as phenytoin (Dilantin); you can speak to your dentist about any extra dental care they may require.
It is unusual for either a local or general anaesthetic to bring on seizures or interact with anti-epileptic medication. However, you should have your dentist consult your child’s paediatrician or neurologist for further information if he is undergoing anaesthesia for a dental procedure.
Surgery
If your child requires surgery at some point for a condition unrelated to epilepsy, it's important that members of the health care team, including the doctor, surgeon, and anaesthetist, are aware of his epilepsy. The anaesthesia used during a procedure or operation, whether local or general, should not bring on seizures or interact with the anti-epileptic medication. If your child is not to have anything by mouth prior to surgery and this interferes with his medication schedule, inform the doctor and the anaesthetist: it is important that they allow you to give your child his medication with a little water.
It may be valuable for your child's neurologist or paediatrician to speak to the surgeon and anaesthetist to identify any potential adverse effects from the surgery. Having this information will enable the treating physician to decide whether surgery is the best approach, and if so, how any potential risks can be minimized.